Meet Farley, (Matt Farley) a 25 year-old loser in the town of Morgan. Ever since his mother died from mysterious circumstances, Farley has lived with his father. He would like to go to junior college and take some art courses, but his dad is having none of that. Also, Farley likes to play peeping tom on teenage girl slumber parties, and apparently the whole town knows of this quirk. Is he the biggest loser in the town? No, that would go to the guy that likes to dress up like a ninja and jump around the park.

Now Farley’s father (Kevin McGee) is a complete jerk. He is the lead host of a radio talk show in the town and is respected by just about everyone but his own son. He treats Farley like dirt, and it really is no surprise that Farley is turning out as screwed up as he is. Farley’s only break from the pressures of the town are when he goes inner tubing on the river. Well, that and when he meets Scarlet (Sharon Scalzo), a beautiful young writer that befriends him. Romance – of a sort – is in the air.

The plot? Well, it boils down to Farley being pushed too far to his breaking point, and then he snaps. Pumpkin carving knife in hand, he goes on a rampage in his hometown. This is just the lightest dusting of what this movie is all about. It also involves witches, apple bobbing festivals, and monsters filled with liquid detergent. Oh, and a really lousy ninja that has to take people out with a brick. This movie is complex and jammed packed with plot, sub-plot, and back story.

There are some nice comedic touches that made me laugh out loud. Farley generally wears a black and white striped shirt throughout most of the movie. When he goes into his closet to get dressed, he has duplicates of this shirt on several hangers. Also, the mayor of the town enlists Farley’s help to rid the woods of the monsters that live there (it seems said monsters pose a serious threat to the town’s apple bobbing festival). For getting rid of the creatures in the forest, Farley will get one day a year out of the sanitarium to go inner tubing on the river. For me, this was the funniest scene of the entire movie – due to the absurdity of it.

The cover of the DVD says there are homages to various creepy movies of yesteryear. I definately picked out the homage to Silent Night Deadly Night 2. The other films they list I am not familiar with. As to the acting – this is a bit all over the map. Everyone from amateur to semi professional actors are in this, including family and friends of the filmmakers. The take is to bring over-exaggerated seriousness to all the parts being played. Matt Farley has the difficult role of being the producer of the film while also being the main title character. At times the character seems a bit strained (during his manic episodes) but for the most part Matt Farley pulls it off.

This is a great beer and pizza night movie with a crowd of people. If you are in the right frame of mind you will have a constant case of the giggles. I think I enjoyed it more than the film they made after it “Monsters, Marriage, and Murder in Manchvegas” because for me, the story is more straight-foward and coherent. Made on a micro-budget, the movie never takes itself seriously and there are more laughs than shudders in it (though there are one or two creepy moments). It was shot on 16mm film and there is a nice 30 minute “making of” as well as the trailer for extras. The film moves a bit slow during the first half, but those with patience will be rewarded with a trip to the bizarre.

6.5/10 stars – nowhere near perfect, but a lot of fun; made by people that love what they are doing – making movies. You can check out the people behnd Shockmarathons and pick up your copy of FREAKY FARLEY by clicking the link below: